Author - Sarah G

Competition breeds success. I will take that to the bank, even though half of you reading this will probably disagree with me. I suppose it’s a matter of opinion (even though I’m right!)

What am I referring to when I say that phrase? I’m speaking on why it’s OKAY to help out other models in the industry. It’s OKAY to share trade secrets. It’s OKAY to allow them to succeed along with you. It’s OKAY to let people know about camming, it doesn’t have to always be in the shadows.

Woah.. Calm down. I know that a lot of models will disagree with me on that last point. I have gotten into many debates about whether or not camming should stay exclusive and in the shadows of the deep dark interwebs. A lot of you feel as though the more girls that come in and saturate the industry, the harder it becomes to make money. I see why you would think that, and I don’t disagree that the more saturated the industry the tougher the competition. But I can’t help but feel like saying things like “We don’t want more models!” “Great, another documentary that’s going to bring even more competition” and other ridiculous, whiny statements are a cop out. That’s right, I said it. Deal with it.

When did people start looking at competition like it was a negative thing? You think that the top athletes in the world got there by bitching about how there were so many other athletes that were also good at the sport, so it isn’t fair because now they don’t look as good? No, that’s ridiculous. They trained harder, they adapted to the situation, they learned the weaknesses of their toughest competitors and they turned those weaknesses into their strengths. They succeeded because the competition forced them to become better, stronger, faster. (If you’re listening to a playlist, I recommend Kanye’s Stronger for this segment.)

How about McDonalds? You think they worry themselves over how Burger King and Wendys are doing? You’re damn right they do, but they don’t sit there and bitch about it, all of those companies are constantly innovating to come out with the next best thing.

That’s just the way that the cookie crumbles, and for every time a model complains about competition, a fairy loses its wings.

What it ends up turning into is this ridiculous back and forth of models being their own worst enemy and them trying to tear down other models behind their backs. They don’t want any documentaries to come out because they are afraid that a thousand new girls will show up in the cam world and make them obsolete.

How about instead of holding each other down and hoping that the competition isn’t going to be intense, we all start to raise each other up? How about we start supporting each other, giving each other advice, helping each other make money? How about we raise the bar. Because once that bar is raised is when the industry is going to be held to a higher standard all around. You don’t like the guys that come into your room and ask what they can get for $1? If we all created strong competition, only the best would survive, and the $1 guys would eventually be non existent because the girls charging $1 would either work harder to become one of the best, or wouldn’t be good enough to stay in the industry. We set our own standards.

I understand that for some of you, that might sound harsh, and I’m not denying the fact that it is. I’m also not denying the fact that I would rather work in an industry where it’s the top 1% and it is constantly challenging me to improve my craft so I don’t fall behind, then to work in one where I get to stay stagnant and live in a delusional world where I think I’m the best around.

When I first got into the camming industry, I said that I had never met a group of women that were more supportive than my fellow cam models, and I stick by that statement today. Whether that’s because those are the only types of models that I surround myself with or because I am choosing to highlight the positives over the extreme cattiness and sabotage that can also take place… I’m not sure.

What I am sure of is how sad it makes me to see models tearing each other down instead of building each other up. Seeing models complain about not being able to make money because of what someone ELSE is doing. For the love of god ladies, stop being a victim. Realize that if other models are taking your money it’s because you have been out hustled. Work harder to improve and adapt your hustle, or choose a different career because mediocrity shouldn’t exist within a luxury service. Period.

I don’t know about all of you, but I would rather be the worst cam model out of 100 amazing ones, then the best model out of thousands of mediocre.

Let’s innovate together, and help others become the type of models that we all should be. We’ll all make more money in the long run if the bar is set to a higher standard, and the only way to do that is across the board, raising each other up.

Networking: interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s career.

Anyone in the professional world can talk about networking and how important it is for a multitude of different reasons. Unfortunately, I think this is an aspect in the cam world that a lot of models overlook, and quite frankly there is no reason for it. Networking is something that you should take advantage of and hone your skills on, no matter what industry you are in. That being said, sometimes in the adult industry it isn’t as simple as throwing a party or going to a mixer for a company that you work for, and passing out business cards. (although, side note: I am a firm believer in a solid business card for yourself, no matter what it is you do as a career.)

So, if you can’t go out for happy hour drinks and network with people that could help further your career at the TGI Fridays down the street or at your company Christmas party, what does networking mean for you as a cam model?

The first and probably most obvious out of all of them is SOCIAL MEDIA. If you’re surprised by that, I don’t know why. It should be pretty obvious that having a strong social media presence, especially in this day and age can make or break your career. No longer do you need an agent to put you in contact with all the right people, and no more of having to work with someone to get to know them and become friends.

The most important thing about social media is that you need to look at it as if it’s your professional portfolio. Every picture, every interaction with a fan, every video should only be your highest quality. IF someone was going to want to work with you, this is what you would present to them. Your profile page is your virtual “business card” so to speak. Not only do you need to always be presenting your best so that you get noticed, you also need to have an easy way to contact you where people can see it. My recommendation is to have your business email in your bio. On every bio. In this day and age all it takes is a quick tweet, DM or like on Instagram for a photographer to want to set up a shoot, or another cam model wanting to set up shows. Start interacting with the type of people that you want to be working with in the future, get to know them, establish a healthy, friendly working relationship…. and I can’t stress the working enough. It’s so important to stay professional in every situation. Networking 101 is you never want to burn a bridge unnecessarily, because even if they aren’t working out the way you wanted them to, you never know when you could use that connection to your advantage in the future. Am I saying to let yourself be taken advantage of? Hell no girl, don’t be crazy. Be a firm business savvy diva if you need to be, but always know to keep it respectful. Respect will take you a long way in people’s eyes and as far as networking goes, reputation is everything.

The second is going to expos and conventions. This one obviously takes more time, effort and money, but is the best and strongest way to network in the more traditional sense. There are multiple conventions that go on through the year but the ones of most prestige and note are: AEE (along with the AVN awards) XBIZ and CamCon. The AEE is the pre-game to the AVN Awards in Vegas. All of the big players are here, including all the talent and most of them have booths where you can walk right up and get more information, make contacts etc.

Xbiz and Camcon take place at the same time in MIami. Xbiz is another big player convention however this one seems to have more emphasis on the behind the scenes industry people. The producers, webmasters, affiliates, site owners… you get the idea. In my humble opinion, this is one of the BEST places to be to network. Building strong relationships with the actual industry workers that aren’t the models can be extremely advantageous, and you never know when you’re going to want to have that connection in your back pocket.

Camcon on the other hand, is definitely geared more towards the cam model. It’s a newer convention that has been running for a couple of years. This is all about the cam model. You can network with each other, set up shows, film content, go to workshops and there is even a fan meet and greet day where your fans can meet you, take pics get autographs. I haven’t been personally, but I hear that have full security detail for the models on that day as well as hair and makeup. OH you fancy, huh?

Now you might be thinking, “I’m a cam model! What is this crazy Bish talking about? Why would I waste my time networking when I can just as easily log onto my big box site, make money and call it a day?” Well.. You can. No one is saying that isn’t a perfectly apt way of camming. However, it’s important to recognize that the way that cam models are treated in the industry is changing. The age of social media and Skype where we can have direct contact with fans and the ability to create our own traffic has started a shift in the way from things once were. Many established veterans in the industry have said that cam models are the future of porn. We are our own future, and by networking within the industry and building strong ties and relationships we can ensure our own success. No longer do we have to stay in the background and hope that the white labels and the cam sites are doing their job with advertising so that we have enough people in our room. The time is now to start treating yourself like the bad ass business woman/man you are and create your own destiny. That starts with networking. Period. So go print up those business cards and get ready to shake hands and kiss some babies.

There are a lot of things to be said about snapchat takeovers. Sure, it’s yet another platform and some might be thinking it’s just another pain in the ass app taking up space on your phone in order to stay legitimate in the social media world. However, the truth of the matter is that snapchat can be a GREAT way to market yourself and broaden your fan base, and if you learn to network with other accounts, you can uncover a social media goldmine.

Snapchat Takeovers are a not only a great way to gain new followers, but it can also be an extremely easy way to increase your revenue and let your fans gain a little insight into your “personal” world. Takeovers are awesome because you can build quick brand loyalty by letting them “hang out” with you for a day, let new people know who you are, and pimp out all your other social media accounts/links, yet time and time again I see models letting their takeover day slip by them without taking full advantage of what they have at their disposal.

There are a few things that are important to take into consideration when doing a snapchat takeover. The first being that everyone and their brother is going to ask you to do one for them. This is when I’m going to be very clear and let you know that all snapchat takeovers are NOT created equal. It’s important before agreeing to take over an account, to think about what you are willing to do for your time on their snapchat. Are you going to do an actual show? Are you comfortable with saying yes if they want you to show nudity? How many hours do you like to have control of their account for?

It’s a good idea to write down a list of how you run your takeovers. There will be some people who treat it like a business transaction, and others who are just wanting to call you the dreaded “sweetie” and “hun” and let you know that they can really help you out! *eyeroll* (If it isn’t self explanatory, the latter are the people who you should avoid.) In my experience, they are usually fanboys who think that they are “pros” in the industry because they run a couple social media accounts and have the ability to take advantage of naive girls. Not cute.

The key is to treat takeovers the same as you would any other aspect of your business. It’s not only networking but also a business interaction. You are supplying your brand for them to promote their snapchat account, and in turn they are providing you with marketing. By treating it in a strict business fashion, you will attract more of the mainstream accounts (Redtube, Pornhub, Manyvids etc.) and I can tell you from experience that those accounts are the cream of the crop in regards to takeovers. Pornhub alone has over 120,000 views on their snapchat so getting a takeover like that is a huge boost to your social media game, as well as to your brand as a whole.

What Questions to Ask When Asked to do A Takeover:

-How many views do they have? (Obviously this is an optional question, but if it’s under 1,000 views I don’t feel like it is worth my time.)

-Are they okay with you responding to messages or would they prefer to have you stick with purely posting on the storyline. (This is one that I didn’t ask at first, but you WILL get bombarded with messages and some people do not like it if you are opening them.)

-Let them know what you expect on your end from a takeover. (ex. How many hours you’d like to have it, whether or not you show nudity etc.)

-Schedule the takeover in advance. This way you can set up any deals you want to run, and have a day planned where you can devote your attention to the takeover. (Personally I schedule at least 1 week in advance)

Keep in mind that if something happens where there is a scheduling conflict, that it’s the right thing to do to let them know that you won’t be able to do the takeover. Don’t just NOT do it on the day of, I’ve seen that happen before and it looks so unprofessional.

Once you have the actual takeover scheduled then it’s time to prepare. It makes me sad to see the lost potential that happens on so many takeovers because the models aren’t using the platform to their advantage. They snap a few snaps, say hi, act cute, yada yada… but they don’t engage their audience. They aren’t CONSTANTLY reminding them of their social media handles, they aren’t running sales or spending all day on there posting an almost obscene amount of snaps. The fans want to be entertained, so entertain them damnit!

Tips for the actual Takeover

It’s important to let them know a little bit about you before you start throwing links and sales in their faces. Introduce yourself, post some silly snaps of your morning routine or some sexy snaps of you being a bad ass bitch. If you’re allowed to answer their messages, let them know that you will be answering their questions throughout the day, that way they know to start sending them. Throw out your Twitter/Insta/Snapchat handles so they know where to follow you. Then, right when they bite onto the bait on your fishing line, start reeling them in.

BAM! 50% off my premium snapchat for today only! Go HERE: xxxxx.xxxx

Then post more teasing snaps, answer a few more questions….

BOOM! Premium show tonight! See it by going HERE: xxxxx.xxx .

You get the idea. I also recommend only using one place for them to get your snapchat, If you can do one simple link for ALL of your stuff even better. People like easy, so if you have a link that says vitametavegamin.supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious.com/findme/snapchat/premium/modelnamehere, chances are they aren’t going to take the time to type it in. Streamline it, shorten it, make it easy to remember. The $10 you’ll spend a year on a domain name is going to pay itself off in no time. SNAP(modelname).com or PAY(modelname).com Easy to remember, easy to type in.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “It’s only snapchat, I would rather spend my time on making money” If you’re one of the ones thinking this, then you are not realizing your earning potential. At all. My highest earning day ever was on a Snapchat takeover. I brought in over $3,000 alone from sales of their fanbase in a single day. So excuses are just that, excuses.

If you aren’t sure where to start, post on your social media that you would like to do takeovers and tag promoters. Start networking and messaging accounts asking them if you can do one. Once you start, the offers will come to you. 🙂

I consider myself an entrepreneur. In fact, I consider every cam model one. Technically, you are running your own business, and camming on a site is just an extension of that. Sure, it would be easy to log on and cam every day and have that be your sole source of income, and I’m sure that for a lot of models that is the case. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, in my opinion, it is imperative to create multiple sources of income so that you never fall to the trap of depending on a site more than depending on yourself.

Take #Streamgate2015, for example. A day (and by day I mean MONTHS) that will live in infamy for the rest of existence. Streamate glitched and crashed extremely hard back in August of 2015, (and honestly, hasn’t really recovered 100% since then.. But I digress) and guess what happened when the site was barely workable? Models freaked out. They lost their minds. They screamed, they cried, they bitched. They feared for their paychecks and the bills that they owed, yet all of a sudden weren’t sure if they were going to be able to pay. It was a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sit up on my pedestal and preach to the masses about why the models shouldn’t have been upset, because trust and believe I was right there with all of them. However, I learned a very valuable lesson. One that I take with me every day in my business, and that is that you can never have too many eggs in your basket.

It was literally the worst feeling when the site that I depended on crashed. It was extremely difficult to stay connected and to make money for around a month. It was terrifying, and there were some days where I ate nothing but ramen noodles, and yes, I admit, my electricity was even turned off. I vowed to myself that would never happen to me again. Sure, you could just start on a new camsite, but it isn’t that simple is it? You have to be approved first, and then you have to wait an average of an extra two weeks to even start receiving any money which, at that time I was not financially stable enough to do. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it is a scary thing when you don’t know whether or not you’re going to make enough money to feed you and your family.

Part of me actually wants to thank #Streamgate2015 for happening. We survived, we prospered, and hell, my income is better than ever because of what I learned from it. My number one takeaway? Multiple Streams of Income.

I realized that in order for me to never be put into a situation like that again, I was going to have to buck the F*&% up and guarantee my own financial stability. Who knows when something like a site crash could happen again?

First, I started making clips (trust and believe, I absolutely loathe clip making) and right away I started seeing an increase in my passive income. Was it thousands? Hell no. Was it enough to pay a bill or two every month? You bet your sweet ass.

Second, I started a white label…. and then I promoted the CRAP out of it. This took a couple months to see a return on, but now I receive 2-4 checks a month in the mail of passive income from members who spend on other models.

Third, I started investing time now to make money later. By that I mean, I started to spend a lot of time (and I mean A LOT of time) on social media. I didn’t see anything from it for a while, and there were days where I would get so frustrated that I wanted to scream, but then after about 6 months of spending at least 3 hours a day on my social media presence, my ish blew up. In a BIG WAY. I can now take damn near 3 weeks off of cam if I feel like it, and sustain more than enough to pay all of my bills and live comfortably off my snapchat sales alone. (Gain followers, engage your audience, the potential for becoming brand ambassadors, spokespeople, and a brand to be reckoned with is there. You just have to invest your time to see a return.)

Fourth, I picked some model websites that I enjoy and I signed up for affiliate programs to their website. Now I can make money off of their work as well as supporting other models in the industry (which in my opinion, makes for a stronger industry as a whole.)

Finally, after all is said and done I started to take a look outside of the adult industry. Now I’m at the point where I am going to invest. That way I can watch my money make money.

So long story short, here I am, 10 months after #Streamgate2015, and I have so many sources of income hitting my bank account that it take actual effort to keep track of what I get paid and when. I feel completely financially stable, and more importantly 100% in charge of how I run my business. If a cam site isn’t working for me, I don’t stress anymore, I adapt, and the only reason I’m able to do so freely is because of branching out of my comfort zone and making sure that the only business I depend on to keep me financially stable, is my own. My advice to you is for you to do the same.

There comes a time in every cam models life where you have to learn the art of the balance of promotion. It sounds simple, but there are so many intricacies that you don’t realize exist until you’re in the midst of it. For today, let’s talk about one of those intricacies. The difference between promoting yourself and your links, and spamming your audience.

Nobody likes spam. How many times have you opened up your email account only to see that it’s filled with hundreds of spam emails that you have no interest in reading? It’s annoying, it’s obnoxious, and I have been victim to closing my email accounts because the spam gets SO out of control. Or how about going to a website, only to be bombarded by the millions of pop up/under ads until you want to rip your hair out and scream because.. All you f*$%ing wanted was to read a damn article. *deep breaths* The Point is that it’s a pain in the ass, and if you aren’t careful with the balance this could be what is coming across to your fanbase on your social media accounts. Notably on Twitter and Snapchat.

I can’t tell you how many times I have logged onto Twitter and gone to a cam-girls account to only see her posting links of where they can go purchase her content and see her online. Then I see the same models complaining about how they never make any sales from their twitter account, and that it’s filled with a bunch of freeloaders. Sure, of course you want to be able to generate sales through Twitter and that’s what you should be doing, but what you need to understand is that promoting yourself on Twitter/snapchat/Insta (insert every other social medium you may use here) is not the same thing as converting a sale in your cam room. The simple fact of the matter is that social media platforms ARE NOT a cam room, therefore you cannot treat it as such. You can’t just throw out a link every hour on the hour and expect people to click on it and buy. They aren’t in the mindset already to spend money like someone on a cam site is. You have to convert them through the balancing act of promotion and personality of your brand.

Now, I’m not saying don’t ever post your links. I post all of my links daily, multiple times. The key is that it isn’t ALL that I do. I’m not constantly posting it in every tweet. I’m not posting snaps on my storyline every 10 minutes telling them to go and buy my premium. I make sure to balance it out with enough of a “personality” to my brand as possible, so they don’t feel like I’m shoving it down their throats. The difference between going onto someone’s Twitter feed and seeing every post as a link, versus going on their feed and seeing a few links interspersed with

them chatting with their fans, posting funny quotes/memes, posting pics without attaching a link to it every once in a while. You get the idea.

The balance needs to be about 60/40. 60% of the time you push your product, 40% of the time you work on the image of your brand and cultivating a brand personality that will inspire loyalty and make them want to click on the links when you DO post them. Trust and believe that if all you do is spam your followers, they are not going to want to buy what you’re selling. Why would they? It would be the same thing as a twitter account that is run by a bot. Especially in our industry, we have to convince people to pay for our services. Their mindset is why would they pay for it if they can get it for free, and why on earth would they pay attention to anything you post if it’s the same monotonous thing every single time?

Now that I’ve been on my pedestal preaching about the woes of over promoting, you also have to be sure that you aren’t UNDER promoting. At the end of the day, you are a product and you are there to make sales. Just like it’s easy to forget to inject that little bit of personality and only tweet out your links, it’s also easy to forget to post links because you’re so into the other side of it. Especially with the majority of us having multiple links to send people to, it’s important not to forget that once you have the fanbase reeled in through the personality posts, that you balance that out by reminding them that your time isn’t necessarily free and if they want more of your awesome personality, they can go insert link here and get the even better version. Wax on, wax off young grasshopper. Get them interested in you, and then hit them with a link of where they can get more of you. It’s all just one big balancing act. 🙂

Famous words to live by (literally) and they were said by none other than Apples own Steve Jobs. He knew what he was talking about, obviously. Although he was speaking in terms of computers, it really is a great motto to live every aspect of your life by.

Stop looking at competition and thinking of how you can do things better than them. Think about how you can do things differently. For example, you watch another cam girls room. You say to yourself “Man, she is really awesome at the hard sell.” She’s constantly pushing for a sale, like a used car salesman that never gives up and never lets you leave without signing on the dotted line. Now, you try and copy what she’s doing down to a T and you may be successful, hell, you may even be better… but let’s think for a second about how we could do things differently instead. How about mixing soft sells with hard sells? Mixing the art of the hard sell and using it with a subtle sell delivery.

When it comes down to it, there is nothing that you can do that will ever be exactly the same as what another person does. That’s why you can always tell the difference between an original and a copy. Sure, they might be almost identical but they never quite match up. Why would anyone want to be a copy of something else anyway?

Let’s take an example of affiliates for big box cam sites. A lot of models do not like white labels because there a few bad eggs that unfortunately give a bad name to the whole bunch. The models complain about them recording their shows, posting them on tube sites, tweeting out their pics without tagging them, associating them with not so good studios, the list goes on and on. Constantly there is something going on in this realm. There is always a model who is trying to get their shows taken down off of an affiliates site only to get the run around by said affiliate.

The models are upset because their brand is being used and they aren’t getting any type of credit for it, and if they point it out then they are talked to like they aren’t worth a damn. It can be a pretty nasty system. So here’s where the “Think different, not better” comes in. Instead of thinking about how affiliates should do things better (which we all know will not be changing any time soon.) We should be thinking about how we can do things differently. Imagine if 10 models created white labels, and then also created affiliate programs for said white label. Then each model signed up for the others affiliate program, and traded promo content for each other. All of a sudden, instead of having the affiliates steal your content and not give you credit… you as the model are taking control, and all of the models are making each other money by using the models affiliate link when they use their brand to promote their white label. Still with me?

It doesn’t get rid of the problem, but if you can’t get out of it, then you might as well get into it. This would put much more industry control in the hands of the models, as well as provide a supportive

community for everyone to come together and constantly make each other money. Next thing you know, the affiliates that aren’t models don’t have the same type of access to the promo materials (because models aren’t creating it voluntarily for them, like they are for the models they are signed up as affiliates with) and so who starts to be the big bread winners? The models.

Another example is Snapchat. Models started out on snapchat with either just a public snapchat or a private snapchat. Then after debating on how to do it better, most models created two separate accounts, one for the public and one for the premium. This is all well and good and serves its purpose, however, it’s a lot of work to run two separate accounts. So instead of doing things better, how about we do them a little differently? Create ONE snapchat account and run your private and your premium from the same account. (You can do this by going to your settings and changing who can view your story from Public to CUSTOM. Even after you switch back to public view, the snaps posted on your storyline during the custom setting will only be viewable by those who were on the approved list.) Voila! A way to do things differently.

Are you picking up what I’m laying down yet? Obviously the examples above are just that…examples. You can mix and match and try different things out to see what works for you and what doesn’t. But the truth of the matter is that until we stop trying to be cookie cutter versions who compete with each other using the same type of style and hustle, we won’t be living up to our maximum potential. So I urge you, I implore you to start doing yourself a favor and when you are getting ready to log on to your cam room, or film a new video, or start a new project… that you take a second and start think different, not better.

It’s a sad tale. One that happens to millions of people around the world on a daily basis. Your HBIC (head bitch in charge) who you thought you had a bond with has up and left you. No note, no phone call, no bittersweet kiss or goodbye sex…just gone. Who is this flighty yet seductive mistress? Motivation.

What does motivation even mean? It’s so easy to throw the word around and pretend that it doesn’t have this massive weight on your shoulders that can come along with it, but honestly finding motivation can be difficult. Not to mention the fact that once you find it and you’re on top of the world, until suddenly you realize that keeping motivation is a whole different beast entirely.

Like it or not, motivation is an integral part in what makes people successful. All of us, but it’s especially important to remember that motivation is NOT the end all be all of getting things done. Especially in the cam world, where you are completely in charge of your own schedule, motivation can be hard to come by for the majority of us, the majority of the time. Trust and believe that I am the laziest cam girl you will ever meet. Even today I have been procrastinating getting ready to get on cam because the motivation just. Isn’t. There. I’m sure you all can relate to having zero drive to spend all the time to get dolled up, get on cam and entertain the world with your magical vagina and sparkling wit. It’s hard, and sometimes it down right sucks.

So what do you do when motivation has left you and all you can think about is laying on your couch with the only two men you need? (I’m speaking about Ben & Jerry’s of course) Well, it’s not an easy answer, and honestly it’s not one that is going to be cut and dry. Different strokes for different folks and all that. However, I can tell you what works for me and maybe it will give you some ideas to try on your own.

Look at fancy things.

I know this could mean literally anything, and might sound a little silly but I LOVE searching for houses that are for sale/rent that would be in my price range if I consistently worked my schedule. Clothing that I know I would have the money to buy if I could just stick to actually getting my ass on cam. Fast cars and nice vacations. Really anything that strikes your fancy will

do, but when the motivation is lacking sometimes all it takes it to look at something that could be within your reach if you just got up and got moving.

Go On A Camgirl Forum BUT STAY AWAY FROM THE NEGATIVE THREADS!

It helps to have support. So when I’m perfectly content with sitting on the couch and reading my smut, even though my subconscious is niggling in the back of my mind telling me to be an adult and own up to my responsibility of working, it can help in an amazing way to get on a forum and read about how bad ass the other models are doing. I like to look at the goal threads, or the bragging threads. It helps me to see that other models are out there killing it, and reinforces the fact that if I push myself then I too could be the one posting in those threads and motivating other models to go out there and kill it.

EXERCISE

Exercise isn’t fun. We all know this, but nobody ever said it was SUPPOSED to be fun. It does however keep you healthy, but that’s besides the point in this scenario. When I am extra lazy it’s really easy for me to slip into a depression and let myself become a complete sloppy mess and not do anything that I said to myself I was going to accomplish. Now, I know that it takes a whole different type of motivation in itself to get yourself up and exercising, but if you can conquer even 5 minutes of jumping jacks or crunches and get your blood flowing it can help. Whenever I exercise (especially in the morning) I already feel so accomplished and that I pushed myself and it makes it that much easier to get ready and face the rest of my goals for the day, and then smash them. Accomplishing goals breeds more accomplishments, and I don’t think anyone would disagree that getting up and exercising even though it isn’t the easiest thing in the world can motivate you enough to make you feel like you can take on the world. Hell anyone who can do 10 burpees in a row or spin for an hour can do great things. #BeastMode

SET A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

This sounds like it should be so easy, but we all know it isn’t. If you accomplish this then my hat is off to you, because it is still something that I am quite literally working on every day to try and master. IF you set a schedule (ex: Monday-Friday 4pm-8pm) then you can treat it like you would any other 9-5 job. Even on the days that you don’t want to go there, you still do. Pick up your briefcase, down some coffee and get ‘er done. If you worked for somebody else, you would show up to that job whether or not you had the motivation so that is the same feeling that you need to take with you when you are setting a schedule to get on cam.

These aren’t fool proof, and it’s okay that we all have bad days every once in a while. The key is training your mind to be better than it was yesterday, to push yourself to go the extra mile and do something that you might not want to do. Dedication Trumps Inspiration, so force yourself

to do something and you’ll end up motivating yourself. Now stop reading this and go out there and SLAY.

Whitelabels: The Ins/The Outs and Why You Should Have One

If you’re a camgirl, then you probably know about white labels already, and like most other models in the business have a deep rooted, intense hatred for the affiliates of white labels and everything that comes along with it. Of course by saying “everything that comes along with it” I mean the horrible affiliates that are usually behind the scenes of the white labels, screenshotting your pics, recording your shows to upload onto tube sites, and being a general pain in the ass when you decide that you want them to take down your videos. (DMCA’S BITCHES!)

I know, and I agree with the fact that some of the affiliates that are the ones running these white labels are complete jerks who have no idea what it’s like to be on the other side of the industry. (Side note: This isn’t always the case. It’s one of those, the few bad apples make it harder on the rest of them) All they care about is the bottom line and making money, which is understandable. However, my motto in life is “If you can’t get out of something, get into it” and that applies here just as much as any other place.

White Labels are a part of the camming industry. It makes sense. The cam companies are, in essence, paying affiliates to bring traffic to the site by giving them a percentage of all the sales that they bring in. There are white label opportunities for almost every major cam site, and there is no reason to limit yourself to only one, but just for the sake of streamlining this article, we’re going to focus on Cambuilder.com, which is Streamates whitelabel program. There are a couple reasons why I am choosing Cambuilder, one of which being that it is the white label I use, as well as being the most popular option out of all the affiliate programs out there.

There are five options that you can choose from as far as payouts go on Cambuilder.com.

35% Lifetime Revenue Share

$75 per spender + 30% Lifetime Revenue Share

$30 per join + 30% Lifetime Revenue Share

$100 per spender

$40 per join

All of them have their pros and cons, but if you’re in it for the long haul for long term passive income, 35% rev-share for life is the best plan overall.

Regardless of which whitelabel you decide to use, the inner workings are all pretty much the same. They will offer you a rev-share of the sales that you bring in. As a model, it doesn’t make sense to NOT take advantage of this. Even if the only time you promote the white label is when you are getting online, if you get sign ups it guarantees that no matter who they spend on, you are making money. (In Cambuilder.com’s case, 35% off every model they spend on, which would be the exact same as if they were spending on you.)

After the sign up, it’s a relatively painless process. You, of course need to purchase a domain name for your white label. This can be whatever you wish for it to be, but keeping it simple and easy to remember is going to be your best bet. After you have the domain name purchased, it’s time to set up your white label. On Cambuilder.com it gives you easy to use templates that let you customize the look and feel of your site. It’s literally click and point easy. You can upload your own logos, change the color theme, change the size and the look of the models icons,etc.

After that first step, the next step is going to be promoting your white label. A lot of models that I know only use their domain when they are getting online. While that works wonderfully, I feel like it is a missed opportunity. The second that I got a white label, I reached out to other models who either had one themselves, or models on the site asking them if they would be okay with me promoting them….I haven’t had a single one say no yet.

This brings me to my major point. IF YOU ARE A CAM MODEL THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE A WHITE LABEL. Look, nothing is going to change overnight. There are always going to be the asshole affiliates running the white labels that bring us the shitty traffic, treat us like dirt and give every other affiliate out there a bad name. But if you can’t get out of it, get into it. If you don’t like something, then be part of the change. Think about how different it would be if models all created white labels and traded promotional material. Not only are you supporting each other in the industry, but all of a sudden you have so much more promo available to you then the affiliates that only have your shows they recorded, and have models breathing down their neck to take them down. Add on top of that fact that, as a model, you have much more incentive to give people for signing up. “Sign up, spend $5 and get a free vid!” Kind of deals, that will start having checks show up in your mailbox without you ever getting on cam. Passive income ladies, now let’s all get together and get rich. 😉

Competition between Webcam Models

Competition breeds success. I will take that to the bank, even though half of you reading this will probably disagree with me. I suppose it’s a matter of opinion (even though I’m right!)

What am I referring to when I say that phrase? I’m speaking on why it’s OKAY to help out other models in the industry. It’s OKAY to share trade secrets. It’s OKAY to allow them to succeed along with you. It’s OKAY to let people know about camming, it doesn’t have to always be in the shadows.

Woah.. Calm down. I know that a lot of models will disagree with me on that last point. I have gotten into many debates about whether or not camming should stay exclusive and in the shadows of the deep dark interwebs. A lot of you feel as though the more girls that come in and saturate the industry, the harder it becomes to make money. I see why you would think that, and I don’t disagree that the more saturated the industry the tougher the competition. But I can’t help but feel like saying things like “We don’t want more models!” “Great, another documentary that’s going to bring even more competition” and other ridiculous, whiny statements are a cop out. That’s right, I said it. Deal with it.

When did people start looking at competition like it was a negative thing? You think that the top athletes in the world got there by bitching about how there were so many other athletes that were also good at the sport, so it isn’t fair because now they don’t look as good? No, that’s ridiculous. They trained harder, they adapted to the situation, they learned the weaknesses of their toughest competitors and they turned those weaknesses into their strengths. They succeeded because the competition forced them to become better, stronger, faster. (If you’re listening to a playlist, I recommend Kanye’s Stronger for this segment.)

How about McDonalds? You think they worry themselves over how Burger King and Wendys are doing? You’re damn right they do, but they don’t sit there and bitch about it, all of those companies are constantly innovating to come out with the next best thing.

That’s just the way that the cookie crumbles, and for every time a model complains about competition, a fairy loses its wings.

What it ends up turning into is this ridiculous back and forth of models being their own worst enemy and them trying to tear down other models behind their backs. They don’t want any documentaries to come out because they are afraid that a thousand new girls will show up in the cam world and make them obsolete.

How about instead of holding each other down and hoping that the competition isn’t going to be intense, we all start to raise each other up? How about we start supporting each other, giving each other advice, helping each other make money? How about we raise the bar. Because once that bar is raised is when the industry is going to be held to a higher standard all around. You don’t like the guys that come into your room and ask what they can get for $1? If we all created strong competition, only the best would survive, and the $1 guys would eventually be non existent because the girls charging $1 would either work harder to become one of the best, or wouldn’t be good enough to stay in the industry. We set our own standards.

I understand that for some of you, that might sound harsh, and I’m not denying the fact that it is. I’m also not denying the fact that I would rather work in an industry where it’s the top 1% and it is constantly challenging me to improve my craft so I don’t fall behind, then to work in one where I get to stay stagnant and live in a delusional world where I think I’m the best around.

When I first got into the camming industry, I said that I had never met a group of women that were more supportive than my fellow cam models, and I stick by that statement today. Whether that’s because those are the only types of models that I surround myself with or because I am choosing to highlight the positives over the extreme cattiness and sabotage that can also take place… I’m not sure.

What I am sure of is how sad it makes me to see models tearing each other down instead of building each other up. Seeing models complain about not being able to make money because of what someone ELSE is doing. For the love of god ladies, stop being a victim. Realize that if other models are taking your money it’s because you have been out hustled. Work harder to improve and adapt your hustle, or choose a different career because mediocrity shouldn’t exist within a luxury service. Period.

I don’t know about all of you, but I would rather be the worst cam model out of 100 amazing ones, then the best model out of thousands of mediocre.

Let’s innovate together, and help others become the type of models that we all should be. We’ll all make more money in the long run if the bar is set to a higher standard, and the only way to

Diversifying your income from Webcam

I consider myself an entrepreneur. In fact, I consider every cam model one. Technically, you are running your own business, and camming on a site is just an extension of that. Sure, it would be easy to log on and cam every day and have that be your sole source of income, and I’m sure that for a lot of models that is the case. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, in my opinion, it is imperative to create multiple sources of income so that you never fall to the trap of depending on a site more than depending on yourself.

Take #Streamgate2015, for example. A day (and by day I mean MONTHS) that will live in infamy for the rest of existence. Streamate glitched and crashed extremely hard back in August of 2015, (and honestly, hasn’t really recovered 100% since then.. But I digress) and guess what happened when the site was barely workable? Models freaked out. They lost their minds. They screamed, they cried, they bitched. They feared for their paychecks and the bills that they owed, yet all of a sudden weren’t sure if they were going to be able to pay. It was a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sit up on my pedestal and preach to the masses about why the models shouldn’t have been upset, because trust and believe I was right there with all of them. However, I learned a very valuable lesson. One that I take with me every day in my business, and that is that you can never have too many eggs in your basket.

It was literally the worst feeling when the site that I depended on crashed. It was extremely difficult to stay connected and to make money for around a month. It was terrifying, and there were some days where I ate nothing but ramen noodles, and yes, I admit, my electricity was even turned off. I vowed to myself that would never happen to me again. Sure, you could just start on a new camsite, but it isn’t that simple is it? You have to be approved first, and then you have to wait an average of an extra two weeks to even start receiving any money which, at that time I was not financially stable enough to do. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it is a scary thing when you don’t know whether or not you’re going to make enough money to feed you and your family.

Part of me actually wants to thank #Streamgate2015 for happening. We survived, we prospered, and hell, my income is better than ever because of what I learned from it. My number one takeaway? Multiple Streams of Income.

I realized that in order for me to never be put into a situation like that again, I was going to have to buck the F*&% up and guarantee my own financial stability. Who knows when something like a site crash could happen again?

First, I started making clips (trust and believe, I absolutely loathe clip making) and right away I started seeing an increase in my passive income. Was it thousands? Hell no. Was it enough to pay a bill or two every month? You bet your sweet ass.

Second, I started a white label…. and then I promoted the CRAP out of it. This took a couple months to see a return on, but now I receive 2-4 checks a month in the mail of passive income from members who spend on other models.

Third, I started investing time now to make money later. By that I mean, I started to spend a lot of time (and I mean A LOT of time) on social media. I didn’t see anything from it for a while, and there were days where I would get so frustrated that I wanted to scream, but then after about 6 months of spending at least 3 hours a day on my social media presence, my ish blew up. In a BIG WAY. I can now take damn near 3 weeks off of cam if I feel like it, and sustain more than enough to pay all of my bills and live comfortably off my snapchat sales alone. (Gain followers, engage your audience, the potential for becoming brand ambassadors, spokespeople, and a brand to be reckoned with is there. You just have to invest your time to see a return.)

Fourth, I picked some model websites that I enjoy and I signed up for affiliate programs to their website. Now I can make money off of their work as well as supporting other models in the industry (which in my opinion, makes for a stronger industry as a whole.)

Finally, after all is said and done I started to take a look outside of the adult industry. Now I’m at the point where I am going to invest. That way I can watch my money make money.

So long story short, here I am, 10 months after #Streamgate2015, and I have so many sources of income hitting my bank account that it take actual effort to keep track of what I get paid and when. I feel completely financially stable, and more importantly 100% in charge of how I run my business. If a cam site isn’t working for me, I don’t stress anymore, I adapt, and the only reason I’m able to do so freely is because of branching out of my comfort zone and making sure that the only business I depend on to keep me financially stable, is my own. My advice to you is for you to do the same.